Scotland: No to Covenant

The General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church today voted against the adoption of the Anglican Covenant. Following a variety of views expressed by members of General Synod, the Motion that Synod agree in principle to adopt the Anglican Covenant was put to vote — 112 votes against; 6 votes in favour; 13 abstentions.

The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane, then presented a resolution on the Anglican Communion in support of Motion 27, saying: “The Anglican Communion matters deeply to us in the Scottish Episcopal Church. We invoke the history of Samuel Seabury, consecrated in 1784 by the Scottish bishops as the first bishop of the church in the United States of America. We want to be part of the re-founding — the bringing to birth of a new phase of Communion life.”